Suspicious Fires Outside a Pullman Fraternity

Last Updated on Monday, 31 December 2018 20:12

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Fire Marshal Chris Wehrung

Sunday, September 16, 2018 Dep. Fire Marshal Tony Nuttman

SUSPICIOUS FIRES OUTSIDE A PULLMAN FRATERNITY

PULLMAN—Pullman fire and police investigators say the cause of a fire that destroyed a wooden deck behind the Theta Chi fraternity house early Sunday morning was suspicious and it was one of several fires that were discovered around the brick structure.

Several fraternity members, who lived in the back of the building, at 845 NE C Street, said they were awakened around 5:15 am by the sound of the deck fire. They called 9-1-1 and tried to extinguish the fire with a garden hose and keep it from their multi-storied house.

Firefighters extinguished the fire but the deck, made of treated wood, was destroyed. Then firefighters heard from members that there was a fire at the front of the house that students doused with a garden hose. A further investigation discovered an attempted fire in the patio area. Fire investigator Tony Nuttman said firefighters found five different ignition points around the house.

While the deck was destroyed, there was also some heat damage to a Honda car and a dumpster that were near the deck. One window in the back of the fraternity house was broken from the heat.

There were no injuries and the Theta Chi house, near the Washington State University campus, was not damaged. Investigators said fraternity members were very cooperative with officials in providing their observations. Police officers gathered evidence from the scene and there are no suspects at this time.